Every Laurel Has It's Thorns
by Astral Wish
Summary: When 6 new ponies from Canterlot move to her hometown, Ponyville, Twilight and her friends have to deal with an old rival of Twilight's bent on revenge for "stealing" her dream of becoming a princess-a pony named Laurel Wreath. But her arrival brings a new dark magic unlike anything Twilight's ever seen-The Elements of Disharmony.
1. An Old Rival Arrives

It was a normal day for Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was sitting in her throne room, writing a report to her former mentor, Princess Celestia, about the magic in Ponyville, and how it was benefiting other ponies, even those who weren't unicorns.

Her friends were also occupying the throne, with Rarity trying out some new makeup, Applejack eating her lunch, Rainbow Dash playing with a soccer ball, and Fluttershy practicing a new musical piece with her bird choir. The only one who wasn't anywhere to be seen was Pinkie Pie, who was helping to plan the first birthday party of the Cake twins, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake.

Just as Twilight was about to finish her letter, the doors to suddenly burst open, and in bounced a pink pony with a very curly pink mane.

"TWILIGHT!" she yelled, super excited.

The other ponies were so startled that Twilight spilled her ink, Rarity messed up her makeup, and Applejack swallowed part of her apple because she could properly chew it, and started coughing. Rainbow Dash lost control of her soccer ball, and it went flying, crashing into a wall and knocking down a picture, as well as breaking a vase. Fluttershy's birds suddenly took off, scattering all around the room, looking for a place to hide.

"PINKIE!" the other ponies whined.

"Sorry," Pinkie Pie said, not looking sorry at all, "I'm just so excited that I can hardly contain myself!"

"What's got you so excited?" Twilight asked

"I-" Pinkie said in her usual chipper self. .

"I-" she said, less energetic.

"Argh! I forgot!" Pinkie growled, curling up in a ball and holding her head, "I was so excited I forgot what I was thinking!"

"Maybe we could help you remember?" Applejack suggested in her usual Southern accent, after having stopped coughing thanks to Fluttershy.

"No, no! I've got it! I know it! It's right on the tip of my tongue!" Pinkie whined.

She suddenly shot up, with a gasp and the biggest smile on her face.

"I remember now! A bunch of new ponies are moving in here in Ponyville! We should throw a "Welcome to Ponyville" party!" Pinkie shrieked

"That's what you interrupted me practicing my awesome soccer skills for?! Some new ponies are moving here?!" Rainbow Dash complained.

"Rainbow!" Twilight snapped.

"Sorry." Rainbow Dash said.

"I heard there are six of them, and they're all moving from Canterlot! That means we're going to have 6 new friends!" Pinkie squealed.

"Canterlot!" Rarity exclaimed, "Why, they must be some of the most sophisticated ponies out there!"

"I doubt that, given how they're moving to Ponyville. This isn't exactly the place for sophisticated ponies. Except for you, of course." said Rainbow Dash.

"I wonder what they're like." Fluttershy said in her usual quiet manner.

"I guess we'll go have to see for ourselves." said Twilight, turning towards the door.

"What about your letter to Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked.

"It can wait. The princess isn't expecting the report right away. Let's go show the new ponies around. They'll probably be disoriented, moving to Ponyville after living in Canterlot for years." said Twilight.

The rest of Mane 6 nodded, and Pinkie Pie asked "Can I bring my 'Welcome to Ponyville' cart with us?"

"I think that might be a bit too much." Applejack said.

"Okay." Pinkie Pie shrugged.

As the Mane Six were walking through town, they couldn't help but chat about their hopes for the new ponies.

"Given how they're from Canterlot, they probably have a good sense of style," Rarity guessed, "Maybe they'll be willing to model whatever new outfits I design!"

"I just hope at least one of them's a pegasus." said Rainbow Dash, "Tank and I have been dying for a new flying buddy!"

"I hope they're nice, and love animals as much as I do." Fluttershy murmured.

"I just want them to be fun and come to all my parties!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, hopping up and down.

"I want them to be honest ponies with big hearts, and maybe some strong legs in case I ever need help on the farm," said Applejack, "What are you hoping for, Twi?"

"I just hope their good, moral, upstanding ponies who are willing to do whatever it takes to stand up to evil." she said.

The other ponies nodded and said their agreements, abut got off when Pinkie gasped and yelled "LOOK! I think one of the new ponies is coming here right now!"

The others turned their heads and saw a unicorn coming their way, with her belongs in cart she was pulling, and using her magic to hold a piece of paper in front of her.

"What the hay?" Applejack asked, "Pinkie, I thought you said there were 6 of them moving here."

"Maybe the other 5 fell behind?" Pinkie Pie suggested.

"Wait a minute…" Twilight mumbled, "Is that…?"

As the pony got closer, her features became visible. She was turning occasionally to greet ponies who were welcoming her, but mostly she was focused on what looked like a map.

Twilight gasped, and tensed, and her friends turned to her, concerned.

"Uh, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Are you okay, darling? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Rarity exclaimed.

"It can't be…" Twilight murmured.

The light purple coat...the brown, braided mane and tail...a cutie mark of a crown of green laurel leaves...

The new pony suddenly looked up and saw them. Instantly, her golden eyes turned cold. She quickly put her map away and started trotting toward the group.

Twilight felt her body go rigid as she realized who had come to Ponyville.

"Laurel Wreath…" she whispered hoarsely.


	2. Bad Memories

As Laurel Wreath trotted over to her and her friends, Twilight couldn't help but think of what had made Laurel despise her.

It had started when they were both fillies. Twilight was applying to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Twilight had been pacing back and forth, anxious about her entrance exam. Since she had no friends to cheer her on, her parents were trying to reassure her.

"I don't know if I should do this." Twilight had said.

"Why not?" her mother asked.

"I have to perform this complicated spell to get into Princess Celestia's school. What if I fail? What if I don't get in? I'll have nothing!" Twilight said anxiously.

"That's not true, Twily. You'll still have us. You'll still have Shining Armor, your big brother." Her mother soothed.

"I highly doubt that you'll fail the princess's entrance exam," her father reassured her, "You, Twilight, are one of the most talented unicorns I've ever met. Maybe even the most talented. And you're only a filly!"

"But there's more unicorns applying for the program than just me. What if one of them's better than I am?" Twilight asked.

"The princess is accepting more than just one pony to get into her school, Twily. I'm sure you'll get in. And, if for some strange reason you don't, your father and I will be here to support you. We'll help you find a new path in life."

"Yeah but what if-!"

Twilight was suddenly cut off as the doors to the room suddenly burst open with magic from a unicorn. In stepped a unicorn filly with a light purple coat, a brown mane styled into two small braids, golden eyes, and a green laurel wreath for her Cutie Mark.

She was followed two adult unicorns, and a dark green unicorn colt with a black mane, and a red pegasus filly with a more vibrant red mane. Neither of the other two young ponies had their Cutie Mark, but they were cheering her on with everything in them.

"You've got this Laurel!" the green colt cheered.

"Yeah! You're going to get in there and kick some magical butt!" the red pegasus yelled.

"You're going to do so amazing! You're the best unicorn magician ever!" the green colt said.

"The princess would be crazy not to let you into her school!" the red pegasus agreed, soaring to the top of the room and yelling way too loudly.

The purple unicorn's horn glowed gold with magic, and suddenly, the red pegasus got dragged gently to the floor.

"What was that for, Laurel?" she whined.

"I get that you're trying to cheer me on, but you're creating a scene, and frankly, it's kind of embarrassing." the purple unicorn said.

"Sorry." the red pegasus said, looking like this wasn't the first time it had happened.

"Look, Twilight!" Twilight's mother said, "Now you have someone to talk to while you wait!"

The purple unicorn turned toward Twilight and frowned, making Twilight gulp.

She walked over, still frowning, and Twilight straightened out and smiled, trying to look friendly.

"Hi," Twilight said, "I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

"Laurel Wreath." the unicorn said dryly, "You're trying to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns too?"

"Yeah, why?" Twilight asks.

Laurel Wreath leaned in close, her golden eyes squinting, peering into Twilight's.

"You're not planning to become a princess, are you?" she mumbling threateningly.

Twilight gulped and said, "I would love to be a princess, why?"

Laurel pulled back, snorted, and said, "Well then, I guess that means you and I are officially rivals."

"Laurel?" the green unicorn asked.

"Rivals? Why?" Twilight asked, confused.

"As you probably know, the princess can only take one student under her wing to train to become a princess. You and I are competing for that position. Therefore, we are now rivals. So, may the best unicorn win? Of course, it's probably not going to be you." Laurel Wreath said snottily.

"Laurel Wreath!" Laurel's mom snapped.

"What makes you think I won't be a princess?" Twilight challenged.

"Laurel," the red pegasus said, "Stop."

Laurel ignored her friend and said, "For one thing, where's your Cutie Mark, Twilight Sparkle? How do you know you're destined to be a princess? My Cutie Mark is a crown of laurel leaves. In the days before Equestria existed, laurel crowns were used to show victory and authority. Clearly that means I'm destined to rule. Second, I don't see any friends anywhere. You probably don't understand anything about friendship. A princess needs to have good relationships with other ponies, which means she needs to have friends. I think it's pretty clear which one of us is going to become Princess Celestia's student."

"What does a Cutie Mark have to do with becoming Princess Celestia's student? And who says I need to have friends?" Twilight asked, starting to get irritated.

"And there's another reason why you could never be a princess. You're hopelessly naive. If I were you, I'd go home now." Laurel boasted.

Just as Twilight was about to respond, the doors to the exam opened, and a voice called, "Laurel Wreath."

Laurel turned to Twilight and whispered, "Stay out my way." She then turned towards the exam room, smiled sweetly, and said "That's me!" as she walked into the exam room.

As the doors clicked behind Laurel, her parents approached Twilight and her family.

"We're really sorry about the way our daughter acted." her mother, a white pony with a brown mane in a bun, said.

"She's normally such a sweet girl." her father, a dark purple pony with dark hair said.

"That's no excuse to talk to our daughter that way!" Twilight's father snapped.

"Like we said, we're really sorry. We don't know what happened there. She's never behaved that way." Laurel's mother said.

"Never?" Twilight's mom asked.

Laurel's parents shook their heads, and her father said "Not even once."

A golden light started glowing from inside the test room, and a second later, there was a loud cracking noise, and the babbling of a baby creature.

A few minutes later, Laurel Wreath emerged from the testing room her head held high in triumph.

"Good luck, Twilight." Laurel said mockingly.

"Laurel, we need to have a talk about your behavior, young filly!" her mom snapped.

That was the last thing Twilight heard before she entered the exam room, her confidence shaken by Laurel Wreath's harsh words.

Twilight tried her hardest to crack the dragon's egg placed in front of her, but she was so nervous that she couldn't. She tried over and over to perform the spell, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time," Twilight said, accepting defeat.

Just as Twilight was about to leave, a sonic rainboom burst near her (which turned out to have been Rainbow Dash). Her power suddenly escalated to beyond what even she could control.

Not only did Twilight end up cracking the dragon's egg, but she also turned her parents into plants and performed all sorts of other complicated spells, including making the baby dragon (who was now her loyal assistant, Spike) grow to be 5 times his size.

It wasn't until Princess Celestia arrived that her magic levels returned to normal. In fact the princess was so impressed that she asked Twilight to become her pupil, and she got her Cutie Mark!

Twilight was overjoyed, and started bouncing around yelling "Yes, yes yes!", when a golden light flashed, and Laurel Wreath appeared where the light had been.

"Hold on! That's not fair!" She yelled.

Twilight stopped bouncing and cheering, and ended up falling on her muzzle.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Princess Celestia asked.

"My name's Laurel Wreath," Laurel snapped, "And I think I'm the better candidate for this position."

"And what makes you think that?" Princess Celestia said, her voice starting become cold.

"I completed my entire exam without help! I performed all the required spells for the exam flawlessly! If Twilight hadn't gotten help from whatever that weird rainbow thing was, she never would've been able to complete her exam!" Laurel yelled.

"That sonic rainboom showed me just how much potential Twilight Sparkle has a magician. She performed spells that would have taken other ponies years to master, and some might not be able to do them at all. While it's true she got assistance from the sonic rainboom, she showed just how powerful she could be, given time. Could you boast the same accomplishments, Laurel Wreath?" Princess Celestia said coldly.

"Well, what about her connections?! Twilight doesn't have any friends! A princess needs to have good relationships with other ponies, so her subjects will be willing to follow her!" Laurel Wreath wailed, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Friendship is also something Twilight can learn and develop her skills in. And besides leadership, a princess also needs to have kindness and humility. Your behavior right now demonstrates that you have neither quality." said Princess Celestia.

"B-but, she, I-!" Laurel stuttered.

"I think it's clear that I cannot train a pony with a heart such as yours, nor accept her into my program." Princess Celestia said.

"W-what?" Laurel Wreath asked, tears running down her face.

"Twilight Sparkle will become my pupil. And you, Laurel Wreath, will not be trained under me, nor any other teacher at my academy. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my new student and her parents about my plans for her education." Princess Celestia said.

"I-I" Laurel Wreath said, her voice wavering.

She suddenly lunged at Twilight, pure hatred written across her face, and her eyes burning with fury.

"I won't forget this." she growled as soon as she was in Twilight's face.

"Again, Laurel," Princess Celestia commanded, starting to get irritated. "Please leave."

Laurel backed up a few steps, and then ran out the room sobbing. That was the last Twilight had seen of Laurel Wreath, until now.

And now, as she advanced toward Twilight, Laurel had the same hatred on her face she did when Twilight first met her years ago.


	3. The Bitter Beginning

"Twilight?"

Fluttershy's voice snapped Twilight out of her train of thought. She looked around to see her friends staring at her in concern, except for Pinkie Pie, who was focused on the fact that Laurel Wreath was getting closer. In fact, she was so close, she was almost right in front of the group.

"Are you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Why did she move here, of all places?! She hates me!" Twilight mumbled, nervous.

"Who hates you?" Applejack asked, getting wary.

"Hi!" Pinkie said when Laurel got close enough, "Welcome to Ponyville!"

"Well, well," Laurel Wreath said coldly, glaring at Twilight, "If it isn't Little Miss Perfect."

Twilight's friends looked confused, not sure why Laurel was acting this way. Twilight swallowed anxiety and said, "Laurel? You're still angry about what happened all those years ago?"

"Why wouldn't I be?!" Laurel sneered, "How could I forget that you stole what was rightfully mine, even though I was your equal in magic, and better than you in every other way!"

"Princess Celestia made her choice. She saw my potential as a magician and a princess, so she chose me. There was nothing else I could've done to influence her." Twilight soothed.

"Oh, please. The only reason the princess saw how 'powerful' you were is because that sonic rainboom escalated your magical ability. If that hadn't happened, you wouldn't have even been able to hatch that dragon's egg." Laurel said scathingly.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash snapped, "What gives you a right to talk to her that way?!"

"Back off, pegasus! This has nothing to do with you!" Laurel barked.

"This has everything to do with us!" Applejack retorted, "We're her friends, and you're bullying her!"

Laurel Wreath turned back to Twilight and smirked. "So, the princess finally got around to 'teaching' you about the Magic of Friendship? It's about time. And to think, I knew about the Magic of Friendship all along!" she boasted.

"Laurel!" a voice called from the distance.

The ponies looked around to see five others galloping toward the group, Twilight gasped as she recognized two of them. The green unicorn and the red pegasus were the exact same ones who had come to cheer Laurel Wreath on when she was trying out to become Princess Celestia's pupil. Except, they had both grown up, much like Laurel had, and the green unicorn had a Cutie Mark shaped like a tree, while the red pegasus had a Cute Mark of fireworks. The other three, a light blue unicorn with a Cutie Mark of snowflakes spinning in the wind, a pink pegasus with an arrow in a heart Cutie Mark, and a brown earth pony with a Cutie Mark of the theater mask of comedy, were new to her.

"There you are!" the green unicorn said, "We were looking all over for you! Why did you run away from the train station like that?"

He then turned and saw Twilight and her friends, and the unicorn's face shifted from relief to apprehension and concern.

"Oh, um…" he said awkwardly, "How about we go find our new homes, Laurel?"

"I'm good." she said nonchalantly.

"That's weird. You're a jerk, and yet you have friends?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I've been friends with these guys since I was a filly. How long did it take you to discover friendship?" Laurel challenged.

"Laurel," the blue unicorn said, "Please stop."

"Please let me do what I want." Laurel snapped.

"That pegasus has a point. You are kind of being mean." the red pegasus said.

"Guys, can we not start a fight about this? We're making a bad impression." the green unicorn said.

"You guys go and find your homes without me! This is my problem, not yours! So please go away!" Laurel yelled.

"This isn't you, Laurel. Tell us what's wrong. We're here to help you. Stop pushing us away." the pink pegasus said.

"I'm fine! I don't need your help, or anyone else's! Just leave me alone!" Laurel barked.

"Wow!" Applejack whispered, "I can't believe she treats her friends this way!"

"Me neither." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Would doing one of my comedic improvisational skits cheer you up?" the brown earth pony asked.

"No! Go away!" Laurel barked.

"Laurel, your friends are trying to help you!" Twilight said.

"I. Don't. Need. Help! I'm fine." Laurel yelled.

"Guys, stop! This isn't worth getting into a fight over!" the green pegasus said.

"Laurel, I don't know what's wrong with you, but we want to help you. We can't do that if you-!"

The red pegasus was suddenly cut off when Laurel's horn started glowing gold, and in a flash, she disappeared, then reappeared behind Twilight and her friends. She immediately picked up her map, and started galloping away, desperate to escape.

"Laurel!" her friends called.

"I'll go after her." the red pegasus said, starting to undo her harness that was pulling the wagon full her stuff.

"No." the green unicorn said, "I think she needs some time alone."

Twilight, her friends, and Laurel's friends were forced to watch as Laurel disappeared into the distance. And Twilight, for the first time in her life, felt that someone hated her, and felt selfish for becoming a princess.

Maybe if I hadn't tried out that day, or if I'd purposely failed myself, Laurel wouldn't be like this, she thought, It's all my fault she's become this awful pony who hurts her friends.

Twilight felt tears well up in her eyes, and Twilight did the one thing she rarely did in her life: cried.


	4. Apologies and Explanations

"Oh, Twilight, please don't cry." Fluttershy soothed.

"That dumb unicorn doesn't know what she's talking about! You're awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Humph! I've never met such a stuck up pony from Canterlot as she is! Or anywhere else for the matter!" Rarity exclaimed.

"We're so sorry." the green unicorn said, "Please don't take anything she said to heart."

"We don't know what's wrong with her." said the red pegasus, worried.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" the blue unicorn said.

"What do you mean you don't know what's wrong with her? She's your friend for crying out loud!" Applejack snapped.

"We know. It's just...she's never behaved this way before. She's been like this for a while, and none of us know how to help her. We've been trying to give her everything. Time, patience, support. She just keeps shoving us away." the pink pegasus said.

"Why do you stay with her then?" Twilight asked, drying her eyes.

"Because we know who the real Laurel is. She's a great pony. She's got a heart as golden as her eyes, she's a phenomenal magician, and she's the best friend a pony could ask for. We think she just got lost in the darkness of her mind, and we're trying to help her find her way back, so we're staying by her side no matter what!" the green unicorn said.

"Not to mention, you think she's beautiful, and you've had feelings for her for ages." the pink pegasus teased, looking at the green unicorn.

He turned bright red and whined "Cupid!"

She giggled and said, "Evergreen's had a crush on Laurel since he was a colt. He just hasn't worked up the nerve to ask her out yet."

"Cupid, stop!" Evergreen moaned, his muzzle as red as a tomato.

"So that's your name?" Twilight asked, "Evergreen? Is that short for something?"

"Nope, it's just Evergreen." he said, "I specialize in gardening and healing with plants. And these are my friends."

"I'm Scarlet Streak." said the red pegasus, "My special talent is pyrotechnics! You can call me Scarlet."

"My name's Cupid's Arrow," said the pink pegasus, "My friends call me Cupid. I specialize in matchmaking and all things love!"

"I'm Snowflake Swirl." said the blue unicorn, "I do ice magic and ice dance. Call me Snowflake."

"And I'm Funny Bone." said the brown earth pony, "Please don't give me any nicknames. I'm a comedic actor. And you already know Laurel Wreath…"

"Yeah," Twilight said tensely, "It's nice to meet you though. These are my friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity."

"What's ice dance?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"And why does Laurel hate Twilight? How do you guys know her? Do you have some kind of history or something?" Applejack questioned.

"Ice dance is like ballet, but you're dancing on ice alone. And often times, competing in contests." said Snowflake Swirl, "As for the history between Laurel and Twilight…"

"I think it would be best if I explained it." Twilight said.

With some difficulty, Twilight managed to tell her friends about how she'd met Laurel Wreath, how her overconfidence and arrogance had caused her to hurt Twilight, along with her harsh words, and then how Laurel reacted when Celestia refused to train her, or accept her into her School for Gifted Unicorns.

"So Laurel has a vendetta against you because she believed she was destined to become a princess, and she thinks you stole her spot?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"How awful." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Could that be the reason she's turned into such a sour puss?" Rarity asked.

"I don't think it's just that. She was fine until a few months ago, then she started acting up. Part of the reason we moved to Ponyville is because we thought a change of scenery would give Laurel some peace of mind." Evergreen said

"A few months ago? That's when I was coronated. I wonder if there's some kind of link." Twilight said.

"Hmm...we never thought about that…" Evergreen mumbled thoughtfully.

"It is possible," said Scarlet, "We've all known Laurel for ages. We all know how badly Laurel wanted to be a princess. Maybe your coronation reopened some old wound?"

"Maybe." Twilight said, "Let's talk about this more in my castle. Maybe we can find a way to help Laurel."

All the other ponies nodded, and trotted toward Twilight's castle.

How am I going to tell Princess Celestia about this? Twilight wondered, Maybe there's a way she can help us? I'd better ask Spike to send another letter besides my report.


	5. Operation Hope

As Twilight, her friends, and Laurel Wreath's friends wordlessly entered the throne room of Twilight's castle, a small purple and green dragon came to greet them.

"Twilight!" Spike said, "There you are! You need to finish that report to Princess Celestia, pronto, or she's-"

"I can't do that now, Spike," Twilight said grimly, "I'm afraid something much more important has come up."

"What do you mean?!" Spike asked, panicked, "Did King Sombra come back?! Are Queen Chrysalis and her changeling army attacking Canterlot again?! Is the world ending?!"

"It's more like a complicated friendship problem, Spike." Twilight said.

"You have a baby dragon?" Evergreen asked.

"Aren't dragons supposed to have wings?" Funny Bone asked.

"I can talk, you know." Spike huffed.

"This is my assistant, Spike. I've never been quite sure why he doesn't have wings. Spike, this is Evergreen, Scarlet Streak, Cupid's Arrow, Funny Bone, and Snowflake Swirl. They just moved to Ponyville." Twilight said,

"Nice to meet you, Spike!" Snowflake said.

"You too! So, what's so important that we need to put aside a report to the princess?" Spike asked.

"One of Twilight's arch rivals came to Ponyville, and she's super mad at Twilight for some reason! I mean, we know she thinks Twilight stole her chance to become Princess Celestia's student and become a princess, and all, but that was a long time ago, and now she's super cranky and none of us no why!" Pinkie Pie said.

"What?!" Spike asked, perplexed.

"Let me handle this, Pinkie." Twilight said, "Spike, do you remember me telling you about Laurel Wreath?"

"Yeah, why…?" A look of realization dawned on Spike's face, "Oh. Twilight, I told you you should have followed up with her to make sure she was okay!"

"And I told you why I couldn't do that! She despises me! If I'd gone to her, she would've seen it as me gloating, and that would've only made things worse! Besides, I was too busy working on being Princess Celestia's student, mastering the Magic of Friendship, and saving Equestria from danger to think about her! And now that I'm a princess, I'm even busier!" Twilight snapped.

"All right everypony, no need to get all fussy. We've got other things to worry about." Applejack soothed.

"Applejack's right. We need to find a way to help Laurel Wreath." said Rainbow Dash.

Twilight, took a deep breath, calming herself. "You're right. Let's get to work."

"But where do we start?" Evergreen asked.

"Hmm...I'm not sure. But, I think if we put our heads together, we can find a solution to help Laurel turn herself around. Let's sit at the table and talk about it." Twilight suggested.

"Um...there's only seats for the six of you." Scarlet pointed out.

"Oh...um…" Twilight stammered.

"Perhaps we could all just sit on the floor?" Rarity suggested.

"Yes, I suppose that works." Twilight said, sitting on the carpet.

Laurel's friends shrugged and sat down.

"Okay, let's start brainstorming ideas." Twilight said, "Maybe we can come up with a way to help Laurel."

"I still think throwing a party is a great idea!" Pinkie Pie suggested, "Parties always cheer me up, and lots of other ponies, too!"

"We've already tried that. We tried inviting Laurel to all of parties to cheer her up. Birthday parties, garden parties, even a wedding reception. She never wanted to go." Snowflake said sadly.

"Working on the farm always puts me in a good mood." Applejack said, "I could invite her to come help lend us a hoof."

"Laurel isn't very strong." said Scarlet Streak, "I mean, her strength level is average, since she uses magic to do most things."

"What about a makeover? I bet I could come up with a lovely design that flatters Laurel's purple coat, brown mane, and golden eyes!" Rarity said excitedly.

"I was going to suggest a race in the clouds, or some other flying activity, but Laurel's not a pegasus, so…" Rainbow Dash said.

"A could arrange for Laurel to have a tea party with me and my woodland friends. Or she could help me look after the animals at my cottage." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Those are all excellent ideas!" Twilight said, "Why don't we put all those ideas together, and create a plan to help Laurel cheer up. Maybe Laurel's feeling some sort of emotional distress. Getting her to do something she enjoys could cheer her up!"

"Yeah!" Twilight's friends cheered.

"We can call it Operation Hope!" Cupid suggested.

"Operation Hope?" Evergreen asked, confused.

"Yeah, because we're trying to cheer Laurel up, and give her hope again!" Cupid said.

"It sounds like we're going to perform a surgery to implant some hope-giving mechanism inside Laurel's brain or something." Funny Bone said.

"You realize that wasn't funny, right?" Scarlet said.

"I wasn't trying to be funny," he said, "I was just pointing that out."

"Well, I like the name. It suits what we're trying to do perfectly." Evergreen said.

The rest of Laurel's friends and the Mane Six agreed. Super excited to begin.

"All right, everypony," Twilight announced, "Let Operation Hope begin!"

The ponies cheered, and raced out of Twilight's castle determined for their plan to succeed.

Twilight stayed behind, though, and turned to Spike.

"Spike, I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight said.

"What for?" Spike asked, confused.

"I need Princess Celestia's advice on what to do, in case Operation Hope doesn't work." Twilight said.

"Okay," Spike said, grabbing a scroll, ink, and a quill.

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight started.

 _I am in dire need of your help. An old rival of mine from when I took your exam to enroll in your school has moved to Ponyville, and something's terribly wrong with her. Laurel Wreath still blames me for that incident years ago, and acts like she hates me. Worse, she's being horrible to her friends. They've noticed something's wrong with her state of mind, and are trying to help her, but she keeps pushing them away, and treating them horribly. We're trying to see if we can help her by getting to do things she enjoys, but I fear it may not be enough. What should I do?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Princess Twilight Sparkle_

"Should I send it now?" Spike asked.

"Yes, and can you also send a similar message to Cadence and Shining Armor? I have a feeling I'll need their help too if I'm going to fix this problem." Twilight said.

"Uh..sure." Spike said.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called, "You coming, or what?"

"I'll be right there!" Twilight said, running towards the door.

 _I hope they'll know what to do..._ Twilight thought.


	6. Inside Laurel's Mind

Chapter 6: Inside Laurel's Mind

Laurel Wreath was walking through her new home of Ponyville, trying to get her thoughts off that morning, and focus on finding landmarks so she wouldn't get lost.

 _There's the post office…_ she thought, _the flower shop…the bakery…._

"Hi!" Someone yelled behind her.

Laurel yelped and spun around to see a pink pony with a very curly mane smiling at her.

"Goodness, you scared me!" Laurel exclaimed.

"Sorry. I just wanted to say welcome to Ponyville! I'm Pinkie Pie!" the pink pony said.

"My name's-." Laurel said

"Laurel Wreath, I know. I was there when you ran into Twilight, remember?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

 _So, she's a friend of Twilight's._ Laurel thought coldly.

"Oh. In that case, I think I'll be on my way." Laurel sneered, walking away.

"Wait, wait, wait! Come back!" Pinkie pleaded, "Don't you want to make cupcakes with me?"

That stopped Laurel dead her tracks. She turned and asked, "Cupcakes?"

"Yeah! I was thinking I could get to know you by making some cupcakes for the bakery together and a super-duper good time!" Pinkie cheered.

 _I used to love cupcakes when I was little…_ , Laurel thought, _I thought baking them and eating them was the best thing in the world. But that was before the day of the entrance exam…_

Laurel felt her eyes well with tears, and then shook her head, trying to fight it off.

 _Stop it,_ Laurel scolded herself, _you are Laurel Wreath. You do not let other ponies see things get to you. And there's no way you are going to hang out with a friend of the pony who disgraced you all those years ago!_

"No." Laurel said coldly.

"Are you sure? Because I know a really, really good chocolate cupcake recipe!" Pinkie said.

"I said no! Now leave me alone!" Laurel said, walking away.

"Pretty please?" Pinkie pleaded.

"NO! GO BAKE YOUR STUPID CUPCAKES ON YOUR OWN! LEAVE! ME! ALONE!" Laurel yelled.

Laurel galloped away, Pinkie's begging fading into the distance.

Laurel eventually slowed to a walk, breathing deeply to try and swallow her anger.

 _That was a nuisance,_ she thought, _but it's over now. Let's keep going._

Laurel was able to identify the school, and a bridge that led out of town, when another voice stopped her.

"Hey," it called.

Laurel turned to see a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane laying on a cloud above her.

"Hi," she said sternly, "Can I help you?"

"I'm Rainbow Dash. I was just wondering if you'd like to play a game of volleyball with me." The pegasus said, holding up a volleyball, "And then maybe we could hang out with my other friends."

"Your other friends?" Laurel asked, suspicious.

"Yeah! Their names are Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie-." Rainbow Dash said.

"You're friends with a pony named Pinkie Pie?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah, why?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused.

"Then I can't play with you." Laurel said haughtily.

"What?! Why not?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I met Pinkie Pie earlier, and she said that she was friends with Twilight. So must be a friend of hers as well. And I refuse to have anything to do with Twilight Sparkle. So please go away." Laurel sneered.

"Oh, come on! It'll be so much fun! Please?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I've made up my mind, and I said no! Go find someone else to play with!" Laurel snapped.

"I'm just trying to make you happy!" Rainbow yelled.

"I don't need your help!" Laurel yelled back.

"Just one little game, please!" Rainbow whined.

Laurel suddenly shot a golden beam from her horn, her anger taking control of her. As soon as it hit Rainbow Dash's cloud, it instantly disappeared, and the pegasus fell on to the hard ground below.

"OW!" she cried.

Laurel felt bad for a second, but she shook it off, reminding herself not to let another pony see her get upset.

"No means no." Laurel growled, then turned and galloped away while Rainbow Dash picked herself up.

 _That settles it,_ Laurel thought, seething inside, _I'm going home before another one of Twilight's friends finds me and tries to get me to hang out with them._

As Laurel was passing through a different part of town, yet another voice called out to her.

"Hi, excuse me!" the voice called.

Growling in annoyance, Laurel turned to see a white unicorn with a purple curled mane approaching her, holding makeup with her magic.

"What do _you_ want?" Laurel snarled.

"Hmph!" the unicorn huffed, "My name is Rarity, and I was wondering if I could give you a quick makeover."

"A makeover…?" Laurel asked.

"Why, yes!" Rarity said, getting excited, "I'm particularly fond of jewels and fashion design. I was hoping I could design a new ballgown for you that complements your eyes, coat, and mane. Ooh! A nice shade of royal blue would look dazzling on you!"

 _I love dressing up…_ , Laurel thought sadly, _but this is one of Twilight's friends!_

"No." Laurel said coldly.

"No? Would you prefer another color, then? Dark purple or emerald green would look good on you too, I suppose, but-!" Rarity reasoned.

"I mean no, as I in I don't want you to give me a makeover! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Laurel snapped.

"Are you sure? I've been wanting to try some new blend techniques, and-!" Rarity said.

"NO!" Laurel yelled, slamming Rarity's makeup into her face.

"I'm starting to wonder why I moved here, if his is how Ponyville ponies act! How inconsiderate!" Laurel yelled, galloping away.

Laurel was racing toward her new home when a voice called out, "Um, excuse me."

A yellow pegasus with a long, light pink mane descended in front of her.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake! Can't you ponies just leave me alone! Who do you think you are?!" Laurel growled.

"I-I'm sorry," the pegasus said quietly, "My name's Fluttershy, and I was hoping that you could join me and my animal friends for a picnic out in the woods?"

"Why would I want to have a picnic with a stranger and a bunch of wild animals?!" Laurel snapped.

"I-I just thought you might like it." Fluttershy mumbled.

"No wonder you Ponyville ponies live so far from Canterlot. You're nothing but a bunch of crazy, idiotic, freaks with no class or sophistication whatsoever! Including a pony that does nothing but hang out with animals all day! What an embarrassment! I don't know why I let my friends talk me into moving here, if this is how ponies act here!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Fluttershy stammered, her eyes welling up with tears, "I just…wanted to make you happy."

"I DON'T NEED ANY PONY'S HELP!" Laurel screamed, "GO AND HANG OUT WITH YOUR RIDICULOUS ANIMAL FRIENDS, YOU BIG CRYBABY!"

Fluttershy sobbed, and then turned and galloped into the woods, wailing, with tears running down her face.

Laurel turned and ran, determined to not be confronted by yet another pony. She was a few blocks away from her house when a voice with a country accent called out to her.

"Yoo-hoo!"

Barely containing her rage, Laurel turned to see an orange pony with freckles, a blond mane, and a cowboy hat calling out to her. She was pulling a large wagon full of apples.

"Hi, there!" she said cheerily, "I'm Applejack! I was just wondering if you would like to help me on the farm! We've got a large harvest this year, and-!"

"BUG OFF!" Laurel shouted.

"Wow, that was rude!" Applejack snapped, "All I was asking you do was-!"

Applejack suddenly got cut off when the wagon full of apples she was carrying flipped over because of Laurel's magic. Applejack got buried in apples, and then fell forward from the weight of the cart pressing against her. The cart fell right on top of Applejack and her apples, pinning her down.

The townspeople rushed over to help Applejack, many of them yelling at Laurel as she ran away, but Laurel ignored them, desperate to escape to the one place she could be alone.

Laurel eventually pulled up to her home, unlocked the door, ran inside, relocked it, and then used her magic to close all the curtains.

Completely isolated, Laurel started taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her mind, however, kept replaying the events of that afternoon.

 _Making cupcakes…having tea parties...dressing up,_ Laurel thought sadly, _I used to love to all those things, but then…_

Laurel flashed back to after Princess Celestia had forced her out of the exam room without giving her a chance to prove herself.

 _Sniffling and sulking, Laurel walked home with her parents, ashamed and embarrassed at her failure. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the clouds looked like cotton candy, but Laurel felt as if it was playing a cruel joke on her, surrounding her with happiness, when inside, she felt bleak, a rainstorm pouring down inside her soul._

 _Her mother turned to her and said, "Laurel, I'm very disappointed in you."_

" _You-you are?!"_ _Laurel asked._

 _Her father nodded and said,_ " _I am too. The way you treated that other filly back there was absolutely disgraceful. I get that you want to be a princess, but that doesn't give you any right to treat ponies who are trying for the same goal as you badly. I'm glad Princess Celestia didn't agree to train, if that's how you're going to treat other ponies!"_

" _You're…glad_?" _Laurel quavered, her eyes watering._

 _Her mother said_ " _I agree. No pony who acts like that should ever be a princess, regardless of how powerful she is"-she glared harshly at Laurel- "or the fact the she's our daughter."_

" _You disgraced our family as well as ourselves with your actions, Laurel, as well as your failure._ _We raised you to be better than this. To be a sophisticated young pony worthy of our honorable bloodline. Bad enough you started hanging out with_ lesser _ponies, but this-_ " _her father paused, and shook his head, "We agreed to help you become a princess because it would give our family our greatest honor of all. And you just blew your only chance. You have brought us shame."_

 _Laurel turned to look at the only friends who had accompanied her to her exam, Evergreen and Scarlet Streak. They looked torn, unsure who's side to take in their family argument._

My best friends aren't going to back me up… _Laurel thought, starting to sob._

 _She turned back toward her parents, and saw both of them looking down at her with scorn and disapproval. Laurel could feel her heart start to break._

 _Laurel wailed, and ran home, her eyes overflowing with tears. She ran to her room, locked the door, closed her blinds, and collapsed onto her bed, sobbing into her pillow._

 _My parents are disappointed in me…she thought, I humiliated them. They hate me!_

 _Laurel stayed locked in her room for the rest of the day, to miserable to leave, and too ashamed and embarrassed to face her parents. She prayed that the next day would be better, but it wasn't. In fact, it was even worse._

 _As Laurel walked into school, she ran into her friends- Evergreen, Scarlet, Snowflake, Cupid, and Funny Bone-at the entrance. As they walked into their class, a taunting voice called out._

" _Hey, Loser Laurel!"_

 _Laurel and her friends turned to see a group of fillies their age snickering behind them._

" _Heard you failed your entrance exam into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! Well done! Guess you_ aren't _a very good magician, after all, huh Laurel?" their leader teased._

" _How do you know about that?!"_ _Scarlet challenged._

" _You think you were the only one there trying out for the Princess's school? Tons of people there saw you get kicked out by the princess herself! And those who weren't there, well, it's like they say. News travels quickly,"_ _the filly sneered. Her friends behind her started laughing and jeering, making Laurel feel worse._

" _Leave her alone!"_ _Evergreen snapped_.

" _Or else what? Your reputations are in jeopardy too, you know, hanging out with company like_ her _,"_ _one of the fillies jeered._

" _She should change her name to Loser Laurel to commemorate the event!"_ _another filly taunted._

" _Yeah,"_ _a colt passing by said, "And her Cutie Mark can be an exam packet with a big fat_ F _on it!"_

 _A lot of the ponies in hallways started laughing, and chanting_ " _Loser Laurel!", "Loser Laurel!"_

 _Scarlet snorted, and started pawing the ground, getting ready to charge the bullies, and knock some sense into them._

" _Scarlet, don't!" Snowflake said, "Retaliating won't fix anything!"_

" _Let's just go, guys," Cupid said, "We're making ourselves bigger targets by just standing here. Let's just walk away and try to tune them out."_

" _Great idea!" Funny Bone started skipping away, shouting/singing, "La, la, la, la! Tuning out the haters! La, la, la, la la!"_

 _Funny Bone's silliness made Laurel feel better for a second, but as she started walking away with her friends, the other ponies kept jeering and laughing at her._

" _Where you going,_ Loser Laurel _?" A colt taunted._

" _Probably back to magic kindergarten so she can learn about any of the spells that she missed." A filly jeered._

 _The other ponies in the hallway started laughing, but the sound faded away as they moved farther down the hall._

" _Don't listen to them, Laurel. You're not a loser." Snowflake said kindly._

" _Yes, I am! I failed the test to get into the School for Gifted Unicorns! Princess Celestia herself kicked me out! I'm so embarrassed!" Laurel whined._

" _Laurel, we_ all _make mistakes. Not even the princess is perfect. You've just got to pick yourself up, learn from it, and keep going." Scarlet said._

" _This was just some mistake! This was everything to me! Now I'm cast out, my parents are mad at me, and every pony here is making fun of me!" Laurel snapped._

" _It'll get better, you'll see." Evergreen soothed._

"How?! _How could it possibly get better? I've hit rock bottom!" Laurel asked._

" _You still have us. We'll never leave you!" Evergreen said._

" _We'll always have your back!" Scarlet said._

" _Yeah, just like how you and Evergreen had my back yesterday when my parents were yelling at me!" Laurel snapped._

 _Scarlet and Evergreen looked hurt, and guilty, but Funny Bone, Cupid, and Snowflake looked confused._

" _Laurel…" Evergreen said sadly._

" _Let's just get to our class. The other ponies will be catching up soon!" Laurel said, running into her classroom._

 _No pony dared bully Laurel in front of her teacher, but she almost always caught her classmates looking at her, whispering, and snickering._

 _At recess, however, things boiled over. Laurel was looking for her friends, who were normally by the largest tree in the area, but they weren't there for some reason._

 _Where could my friends be, she thought._

 _Out of the blue, Laurel was hit by a large rubber dodgeball._

" _Ow!" she cried._

 _She looked over to see a group of ponies her age laughing._

" _Oh, I'm sorry, Laurel," one of the fillies said with mock sympathy, "I just thought you'd catch it. After all, you're such a great magician!"_

" _Hey, Laurel, catch this!" a colt called._

 _Faster than she could react, an apple hit her in the eye. Laurel collapsed, covering her injured eye. More ponies crowded around her, throwing things and yelling insults._

" _Look at her! She's_ definitely _princess material!" a colt jeered._

" _Reality hurts, doesn't it, Laurel? You think you're hot stuff, and then you get rejected by Princess Celestia herself!" a filly asked._

 _Where are Evergreen and the rest of my friends, Laurel thought, starting to cry._

" _Aww, look! Little foal's going to cry!" a filly taunted._

" _Loser Laurel!" another filly yelled._

 _The group started to pick up the chant, until every pony was chanting, "Loser Laurel!" "Loser Laurel!"_

 _My friends betrayed me…, Laurel thought, They won't help me! What's the point of having friends if_ this _is how the treat you! This is all Twilight's fault! I hate her!_

A knock on the door brought Laurel back to the present.

"Laurel? Are you okay?" Evergreen asked.

"Go away!" Laurel wailed amidst her sobs.

"Laurel, please don't push us away! We're here for you!" Snowflake said.

"Yeah, just like you were there for me when I was being bullied on the playground!" Laurel yelled.

"That wasn't our fault! We-!" Scarlet tried to reason.

"Just go away!" Laurel shouted.

"…Okay, then," Evergreen said sadly, "I guess we'll see you later then."

Laurel's friends said by to her and left, leaving Laurel to her thoughts.

 _No pony understands my pain,_ Laurel thought, _I'm sick of them! I'm better off alone! It's all Twilight's fault that this happened! And now, that little brat's a princess!_

Laurel curled up in a ball, sobbing, wallowing in her pain and misery.

 _Where do I go from here,_ she thought _I don't know what to do._


	7. Falling Apart

Twilight anxiously paced the room, waiting to hear back from Princess Celestia, and her brother and half-sister, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, when the doors to her throne room opened, and she gasped. Her friends looked like disasters.

Pinkie's mane had lost all it's volume, and become straight, and flat, which meant that she was miserable. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked like they were in pain, with AJ covered in bruises, and Rainbow Dash holding her chest. Rarity's makeup was smeared all over her face, and was trying to comfort a crying Fluttershy.

"What happened?!" Twilight asked, galloping over to her friends.

"Laurel happened, that's what!" Applejack snapped, "I was just pulling some apples in through town to sell them at the market, when I saw Laurel and asked if she wanted to help me out on the farm. She yelled at me, and pinned my under my cart with her magic! She's lucky I wasn't hurt bad!"

"I was offering to play a game of volleyball with her, but she destroyed the cloud I was laying on, and I fell hard on to the ground!" Rainbow Dash complained.

"I only wanted to design a dress for her, maybe try some new makeup blend techniques on her!" Rarity exclaimed, "But instead she slammed my makeup in my face, and now I'm a mess!"

"She refused to bake cupcakes with me, and called them stupid!" Pinkie said.

"And when I invited her to a picnic with my animal friends, but she called me an embarrassment, and a crybaby!" Fluttershy sobbed.

Twilight felt her own eyes start to tear up as waves of guilt washed over her.

"I...I'm so sorry, everypony." Twilight said softly.

"You should be sorry!" a voice down the hall snapped.

Scarlet Streak stormed into the room, glaring at Twilight, followed by her friends.

"Congratulations, your highness, you managed to tick off Laurel even more! Some 'Princess of Friendship' you are! I don't why I ever agreed to this stupid plan!" Scarlet barked.

"Scarlet, Princess Twilight genuinely tried to help us! We should be thanking her!" Snowflake said.

"Thanking her for what? Sending Laurel into another one of her rage episodes, and leaving her sobbing in her own house?!"

"Maybe it was just because Laurel encountered only Twilight's friends. Maybe if it was just us-" Cupid suggested.

"Just us trying to hang out with her. That will totally convince Laurel to break her cold shell and turn back to normal! Thanks Cupid! I don't know why I didn't think of that!" Scarlet said sarcastically.

"I was just trying to think of a way we could help!" Cupid snapped.

"Right, and by help, you mean try the same stupid plan Twilight suggested, except it'll be just us. That won't make Laurel even more mad at all!" Scarlet sneered.

"Guys, please stop fighting!" Snowflake pleaded.

"Heavens to Celestia, Snowflake, why do you always butt in on other pony's conversations! Can't you just keep your muzzle out of other pony's business for once?!" Cupid snapped.

"Sorry for trying to diffuse the situation before somepony said something she'll regret!" Snowflake retaliated.

"Guys, seriously stop!" Evergreen begged.

"Maybe could try making Laurel laugh? That always cheers me up." Funny Bone suggested.

Scarlet rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, because laughter fixes everything, doesn't it, Funny Bone? I'm sure that after a few jokes, Laurel will the pony she once was again. Have you ever once considered that laughter isn't always the best medicine?!"

Funny Bone started yelling at Scarlet, and within seconds, Funny Bone, Scarlet Streak, Cupid's Arrow, and Snowflake Swirl were caught in a full-fledged verbal brawl. Twilight and her friends were still, too stunned to say or do anything to defuse the situation.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Evergreen snapped, using his magic to pull his fighting friends away from each other.

"Fighting's not going to fix anything." Evergreen said, stepping into the middle of his angry friends, "We can't fall apart, guys. We need to stick together if we're going to help Laurel. I know things are difficult, with adjusting to moving here, and Laurel's present state of mind. I know we're all tired, stressed, and scared. But I also know that if Laurel were in her normal mode again, she wouldn't want us fighting. Staying united is the only way we can help Laurel."

"I'm starting to think it's hopeless." Scarlet said quietly, her eyes watering.

" _What?!_ " Evergreen cried.

"Scarlet, how you say that?" Snowflake exclaimed.

"We've tried everything we can think of to help Laurel. A change of scenery, giving her time, helping her try to forget what happened, introducing her to new ponies, everything! Laurel's only getting worse. I'm beginning to think she's past the point of no return. She'll never be the Laurel we once knew." Scarlet sobbed.

Snowflake and Cupid started crying too, and even Funny Bone began sniffling.

"Guys, we can't just give up on Laurel!" Evergreen exclaimed.

"Why not? What's the point in continuing if she's only going to keep pushing us away?!" Snowflake wailed.

"Because Laurel never gave up on _us_. Don't you guys remember? Scarlet, remember the times when you used to get frustrated and throw fits because no matter what you tried, you couldn't get your Cutie Mark?" Evergreen said.

"Yeah, why?" Scarlet sniffled.

"Laurel was there to help dry your tears and find new things to try. Heck, she's the one who suggested you try pyrotechnics in the first place! And look what happened!" Evergreen exclaimed.

"I...discovered that it was my special talent." Scarlet said, a bit more hopeful.

"Right! And Snowflake! Remember when you first qualified for the National Young Ice Dancer's Competition? You struck out in the first rounds, came home in tears, and considered quitting. And what did Laurel do?"

"She convinced me to keep going." Snowflake sniffled.

"And what happened the following year?" Evergreen asked.

"I got second place!" Snowflake said.

"Yeah! And Funny Bone, Laurel stuck by your side through thick and thin while you were waiting for your big break! She even helped you practice for your auditions!" Evergreen said enthusiastically.

Funny Bone nodded and laughed, overflowing with hope.

"Laurel helped my find my Cutie Mark too!" Cupid exclaimed.

Evergreen nodded and said, "My point is, Laurel was there to support us in our lowest moments. So now it's time that we repay her. She needs us now the same way we needed her in those moments, even if she doesn't realize it."

"Let's help Laurel!" Scarlet cheered.

The other 4 cheered loudly, and Twilight's friends joined in, impulsively.

"What about you, Evergreen?" Twilight asked.

"What about me?" Evergreen asked.

"How did Laurel help you out when you needed it most?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, yeah! Laurel helped me survive my parent's divorce." Evergreen said.

"What's a divorce? Sounds painful." Rainbow Dash said.

"It's not painful. At least, not physically. A divorce is when a couple legally breaks their marriage so they can go their separate ways." Cupid explained.

"How awful. That sounds really hard." Fluttershy said.

"It was really hard. Which is why I'm so thankful Laurel was there to support me. She lended me her strength, and gave me a shoulder to cry on. She even managed to make me smile from time-to-time. I've been waiting for years to be able to pay her back." Evergreen said.

"Is that why you're so committed to helping Laurel get better?" Twilight asked.

"Partially, yes. The main reason is because she's one of my best friends, and want to help her." Evergreen said.

"And you love her." Cupid added.

Evergreen's face turned red as an apple.

"Cupid!" he whined.

She giggled, and then said, "We should be getting home. It's going to be getting dark soon. See you all tomorrow!"

"I'll be with you guys in a bit," Evergreen said, " I want to talk with Twilight and her friends about something."

"All right. See you later, Evergreen. Good night, everyone else!" Scarlet called as she left.

The rest of Evergreen's friends said their goodbyes, and then left. As soon as they all left, Evergreen's face changed from confident and hopeful to weary, and worried.

"Uh, are you okay, Evergreen?" Applejack asked.

"Sort of. I need to ask you a question." Evergreen said.

"What's up?" Twilight asked.

"Well, you noticed how my friends started arguing a ton back there?" Evergreen asked.

"Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss." Rainbow Dash said.

"That's my question. How do I keep my friends from fighting? They've been arguing alot lately, even about the smallest things. Laurel's the one who's always kept our group together, through thick and thin. She's our lifeline, our heart. But now that she's become a cold shell of herself, our group's falling apart. I'm trying to keep us together, but I'm not as good as Laurel is. Or, rather, was. I'm afraid if this keeps up, our friendship will break beyond repair, and that'll be it. What do I do?" Evergreen asked.

Twilight and her friends were silent for a minute, trying to think.

"I think you should just keep doing what you're doing, Evergreen." Twilight said, "Keep them united by reminding them of your best moments as friends, and if you see a fight starting to develop, try to break up as quickly as possible."

"Do you think that'll work?" Evergreen asked.

"It should, until we get Laurel back on track. Then things should return to normal in your group." Twilight said.

Evergreen looked a bit skeptical, but he nodded and said, "Okay, thanks Twilight. Have a good night."

"You too." Twilight said.

"We should really be hitting the hay, too. It's been a long, difficult day for all of us." Applejack said after Evergreen left.

Twilight's other friends nodded, said their goodnights to Twilight, and left.

Soon after the were gone, Princess Twilight walked to the window, and began staring out, thinking.

 _Why hasn't Princess Celestia responded yet? Or Cadance and Shining Armor,_ she thought, _I'm starting to think the only way to help Laurel is to confront her myself._

 _More importantly, something's odd about Evergreen and his friends. They're like mirror reflections of the Elements of Harmony. But_ we're _the Elements. Is it possible they could be a second set…?_


	8. Pieces Fall Into Place

Chapter 8: Pieces Fall Into Place

Twilight's friends, as well as Evergreen and his friends, came in the next morning to find Princess Twilight pacing, bleary-eyed, with dark rings under her eyes, mumbling to herself.

"Are you okay, Twilight?" Snowflake Swirl asked, "You look like you haven't slept a wink."

"I'm fine." Twilight said.

"Twilight, you look like you're about to drop. And trust me, and know firsthand how hard it is to run on exhaustion." Applejack said.

"That's what I've been trying to tell her!" Spike exclaimed, "But she keeps insisting that she's fine!"

"I _am_ fine, Spike! I've been able to function on low levels of sleep before! I'm okay, really!" Twilight said.

"Laurel, I'm a healer. I know how hard it is to function on low levels of sleep. It's important to get a good night's rest. I recommend you go to bed, and get some shut eye. We'll figure out what our next step is-!" Evergreen said.

"I'M FINE!" Twilight yelled, her mane bursting into flames the way it did when she got ticked off.

Twilight's and Evergreen's friends stepped back, afraid.

"I'm sorry, everypony," Twilight said when she finally calmed down, "I'm just a bit stressed."

"About what?" Snowflake asked.

"Laurel's condition. It feels like no matter what I do, I only make things worse! I'm running out of ideas, and Laurel seems to be getting worse and worse by the day! And I still haven't heard back from Princess Celestia or Cadence and Shining Armor, who are the only ponies who I can think of to help us come up with a new solution! You were right, Scarlet! I'm a horrible 'Princess of Friendship!'" Twilight wailed.

"Twilight, I didn't mean a word I said yesterday. I was just…" Scarlet said.

"Stressed out we can't figure out a way to help Laurel," Twilight interrupted, "I know. You guys turned to me for help to fix this, and all I've done is let you down. I feel so…useless."

Twilight's eyes started to fill with tears, and she started sniffling.

"Twilight, you are _not_ useless!" Scarlet said, "And you have _not_ let us down! If anything, I admire you!"

"Admire me?" Twilight asked, confused.

Scarlet nodded and said, "You've put everything you've got into helping a mare that once bragged about being better than you, and ended up becoming a monster! I thought for sure you'd have brush her off, and leave us to deal with her on our own! And you've come up with ideas to try and help her that we'd never thought of on our own! _Everyone_ makes mistakes! Even Princess Celestia! The important thing is to not give up! I _know_ you'll think of something! We're probably just missing a piece in the puzzle!"

Twilight dried her eyes, and said, "Thanks, Scarlet."

"No problem!" Scarlet said.

"Now we just need to figure out what the missing piece in the puzzle Scarlet mentioned is." Evergreen said.

Spike suddenly began making retching noises, and looking like he was about to vomit.

"Spike? Are you okay?" Evergreen asked.

"He's fine," Twilight said, "He does this whenever he receives a letter from one of the princesses."

Twilight's eyes suddenly widened as she realized what that meant.

"Oh my gosh, he's got a letter from one of the princesses!" Twilight exclaimed.

Spike belched and let out a stream of green fire, and then was holding a scroll with the royal symbol on the ribbon in his claw.

Twilight used her magic to grab the letter from Spike, and tore it open.

"It's from Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed.

"What's it say?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"My dearest Twilight," Twilight began reading.

 _I was always afraid that you and Laurel would cross paths again. It seems my fears have come true. Laurel appears to still be nursing a grudge from that exam day all those years ago, and blames you for her failure, and maybe me as well. I have always wondered if I was too hard on her that day._

 _I applaud you for trying to cheer Laurel up, and help her forget the past, but it appears her mental wounds are too great to be fixed that simply._

 _I'm afraid I don't have much advice to offer you, Twilight, but I would recommend trying to trying to reach out to her in a one-on-one confrontation. Perhaps fixing the damaged relationship between you and Laurel will give her some peace of mind._

 _I wish you luck, my dear former pupil._

 _Princess Celestia_

"Well, that wasn't much help." Scarlet grumbled.

"Actually, it was." Twilight said.

"It was?" Everyone else asked.

Twilight nodded and said, "I've been beginning to wonder if facing Laurel alone is the only way I can help her. This letter from Princess Celestia confirms it. Maybe if I go talk, I can-!"

Spike suddenly belched fire again, and another letter appeared out of the flames.

Twilight picked up and said, "Oh! This one's from Cadence and Shining Armor!"

"Who are they?" Evergreen asked.

"The prince and princess of the Crystal Empire. And, Twilight's big brother and sister-in-law." Applejack said.

Twilight cleared her throat and began reading the letter.

 _Hey Twily,_

 _Sorry you're having a rough time with a difficult pony. Unfortunately, there's always those kinds of ponies in life. We're proud of you for trying to help her, though._

 _Unfortunately, neither of us are quite sure how to help with this. I know this sounds weird, given how we're the princess of love and the prince and princess of The Crystal Empire, but neither of us have really had an experience like this._

 _The best advice we can offer is trying to put yourself in Laurel's hooves. We know that's pretty cliché, but we think that entering Laurel's mind may help you realize what's really going on with her. Because we both think that it's more than just an old grudge resurfacing._

 _Let us know how it goes._

 _Love,_

 _Cadence and Shining Armor_

"Putting myself into Laurel's hooves. Why didn't I think of that?" Twilight said.

"So, then, what are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Let's start with putting together what we know about Laurel. We all know that after she confronted Princess Celestia about me being chosen to be her pupil, the princess forced her to leave. What happened after that?" Twilight asked Evergreen and his friends.

They all looked uncomfortable, until Scarlet piped up.

"Her parents confronted her on their way home. They called her an embarrassment and a disgrace to their family name. She ran home crying, locked herself in her room, and refused to come out for the rest of the day. When she went back to school the next day, the other foals teased her and started calling her "Loser Laurel". They ended up beating her up on the playground at recess. She hasn't been the same to us ever since." Scarlet said.

"Why didn't you stand up for her?" Twilight asked.

"We tried," Evergreen said, "We defended her in the hallways tried to cheer her up as best we could. But in the period before recess, we all got in a major fight with some other kids who were making fun of Laurel behind her back. We ended up serving a lunch detention, so we couldn't go to recess. But believe me, if we'd have been there, we would've been more than happy to give those mean ponies a hard time!"

"Does Laurel know this?" Twilight asked.

"No. She absolutely refuses to talk about it. When we try to bring it up, she freaks out the same way she did when you guys tried getting her to do fun stuff with you." Cupid said.

"Hmm…That would traumatize a pony pretty easily. But how is this all connected?" Twilight wondered.

"I think Laurel may have depression." Evergreen said.

"What makes you think that?" Twilight asked.

"She's showing symptoms. Irritability, loss of interest in things that once pleased her, mood swings, isolating herself, excessive crying-those are all warning signs of depression." Evergreen said.

"And depression doesn't just come out of the blue, does it?" Twilight asked.

"No." Evergreen said.

"All right then, clearly it has something to do with her past. Laurel was kicked out of the exam and turned down the chance to be Princess Celestia's pupil after she tried to show me up, got verbally beaten down by her parents, got bullied at school and beaten up on the playground when you guys weren't there to defend her, and hasn't acted the same towards you all since then. You thought she'd recovered, but then she started acting up again…when?" Twilight asked.

"A few months ago. That's why decided to move here together."

"A few months ago…That's it!" Twilight realized, "That's what this is all about! Laurel's depressed because she feels like a failure for failing the exam and being booted out by Princess Celestia! Her parent's harsh words and her peer's bullying her made her feel worse, so she turned to you for support. But then, you weren't there when Laurel needed you most, which wasn't your fault, and to her it feels like you betrayed her! She recovered somewhat after a while, but then when I became a princess a few months ago, it reopened those old wounds, giving her depression! Laurel feels like a failure and thinks she has no one else to turn to, so she's blaming me and you guys to try and make herself feel better!"

"Heavens to Celestia," Snowflake mumbled, with tears in her eyes, "You mean, all this time, this was what was really going?"

Twilight nodded, turning towards the door and said, "Come on. We've got to go tell Laurel-!"

The sound of a large explosion suddenly ripped through the room, startling everypony.

"What the hay was _that_?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It sounded like it came from the center of town!" Scarlet said.

"Maybe it was just some ponies practicing firing some fireworks?" Fluttershy suggested.

Scarlet shook her head and said, "I've been working with fireworks for ages. No firework sounds like that when it goes off."

"You don't think…" Snowflake said, looking pale.

"Oh no…" Cupid said, worried.

"LAUREL!" Evergreen cried, galloping out of the room.

The others followed right behind him, rushing into town to make sure Laurel was okay.


	9. Laurel's Revenge

Chapter 9: Laurel's Revenge

Princess Twilight, Evergreen, and their friends raced into the town's center, only to be surrounded by a stampede of screaming ponies running in the opposite direction.

"What in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked, confused.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be good!" Twilight said, pushing against the crowd.

Another explosion suddenly rattled the ground nearly knocking Twilight and her friends over.

"At this rate, we'll never make it!" Rainbow Dash cried, "I'll fly on ahead and see what's wrong!"

"Rainbow, don't!" Twilight yelled, "It's too dangerous!"

"I'll be fine! I'm the fastest flyer in all Ponyville! I'll just zoom in, check out what's goin' on, and come back! Piece of cake!"

Twilight thought of a million reasons to say no, but realized that there was no other option.

"Be careful, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash grinned and said, "Be back in a bit!"

The pegasus then zoomed off, leaving only a rainbow trail behind her.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Princess Twilight?" Scarlet Streak asked, "I don't want our friend getting hurt."

"Rainbow Dash is a Wondercolt." Twilight said, "She'll be fine."

 _At least, I hope so,_ Twilight thought.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Snowflake Swirl asked as they approached the town center.

"I don't know!" Twilight said, panicking.

"She's a monster!" Lyra cried, running to them.

"Princess, save us!" Bon-Bon yelled, following Lyra.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Twilight asked.

"It's that new pony, Laurel Wreath! She's…she's-!" Lyra cried, gasping.

"-Turned herself into some kind of monster!" Bon-Bon finished.

"Yeah! And now she's threatening to destroy Ponyville, and is demanding that you show up!" Lyra exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Cupid cried, "We have to stop her!"

"What about Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, "Have you seen her?"

"Princess, Laurel Wreath's turned her into a statue!" Bon-Bon exclaimed.

"What?!" Scarlet cried, "How?!"

"Rainbow Dash flew in, hovered there in shock over what she saw, and then just as she was about to fly away, Laurel Wreath struck her with a spell, and she turned to stone!" Lyra cried.

"What are we going to do, Princess?!" Bon-Bon wailed.

"Get out of the town center right now, and warn the other ponies to stay away! My friends and I will handle this!" Twilight commanded.

"Yes, Princess Twilight!" Lyra and Bon-Bon said, bowing, before they galloped away for their lives.

"C'mon! We need to hurry before Laurel destroys Ponyville!" Twilight cried, as she and her friends took off again.

"Twilight?" Scarlet asked, "How are you going to stop Laurel without The Elements of Harmony?"

"I don't know. But I think if we can break through to Laurel, she'll stop…whatever it is she's doing." Twilight said.

"You think it'll work?" Fluttershy asked.

"What kind of question is that?!" Evergreen cried, " _Of course_ it'll work! It's the only way we can save Laurel and Ponyville!"

"I just hope we're not too late!" Applejack said.

 _Me too_ , Twilight thought.

Princess Twilight and her friends finally reached the town's center, and stood frozen in shock by what they saw.

True to Lyra and Bon-Bon's word, Rainbow Dash had been turned into a statue, a shocked, terrified look frozen on her face.

But the worst sight of all was right in front of Rainbow Dash. A tall, dark coated mare was standing in the center of town, blasting apart buildings with red magic coming from her large horn. A strange necklace made of gray metal with a diamond-shaped centerpiece was around her neck.

Still, despite the differences, Twilight recognized her right away. The mare had the same braided mane and tail as Laurel, but they had been turned a deep indigo. Laurel's Cutie Mark was still a crown of laurel leaves, but they now appeared to be entwined with thorns.

"LAUREL WREATH!" Twilight called out over the commotion, "LEAVE THEM ALONE, AND STOP THIS NONSENSE RIGHT NOW!"

Laurel Wreath turned to face Twilight, and the sight of her face made her friends gasp with horror. Her once golden eyes had become large, and her irises had turned a vibrant shade of red, and were full of ruthlessness and malice.

Her teeth had been turned to pointed fangs, and her face was covered in purple war paint.

"Well, well." Laurel said, her voice hollow and sinister, "About time you showed up, Princess. I figured you ought to know by now that it's not polite to keep a pony waiting."

"Leave the ponies of this town alone, Laurel! I know it's me you truly want!" Twilight cried.

Laurel laughed maniacally, and said, "You still think I'm Laurel Wreath? That silly pony was too weak to do something like _this_. My name is Midnight Eclipse, the most powerful being to ever exist!"

"However, you're right." Midnight Eclipse continued, "I _do_ want you above all the other ponies, Twilight. But I'm not unreasonable. So, I offer you a choice. Surrender your crown and all your power to me, and I will spare this place and the ones you love. Or keep it, and watch your home and all your friends burn to ashes!"

"If you want my crown, you're going to have to fight me for it! I'll defeat you before you kill somepony!" Twilight announced.

"Bold words, Princess!" Midnight Eclipse sneered, "But how exactly do you plan on defeating me? Your friend has been turned to stone, and you need all six Elements of Harmony for them to work! So, without your 'Element of Loyalty', your other elements are useless! And thanks to the power in this necklace, I am all powerful! Face it, Princess, I am unbeatable!"

"We'll see about that! Ready, everypony?!" Twilight asked.

"Ready!" Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Evergreen cried. But Evergreen's friends didn't respond.

Twilight turned to see them standing, staring in shock at what Laurel had become, completely immobilized.

"What are you doing?" Evergreen asked, "Come help us!"

"We…" Snowflake said quietly, "We don't want to hurt Laurel!"

"You won't be! You'll be attacking Midnight Eclipse!" Twilight said.

"She's still Laurel inside." Funny Bone said shakily.

"Aww, too bad!" Midnight Eclipse sneered, "Looks like your new friends won't come through for you, Princess!"

"Guys, please! We have to help fight Midnight Eclipse! It's the only way we can free Laurel and save Ponyville!" Evergreen pleaded.

Scarlet Streak took a deep breath and mumbled something to her friends. They all nodded, and ran from the scene.

"Where are you going?!" Applejack asked.

"Please come back! We need you!" Fluttershy begged.

"I'll go after them and convince them to fight!" Evergreen called, chasing after his friends.

"Alright, then." Twilight said, "We'll face Midnight Eclipse on our own!"

"You still think you can win?" Midnight Eclipse asked, "Fine, then. I guess I'll have to teach you the hard way not to mess with me!"

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie charged at Midnight Eclipse, while Twilight took to the air.

She then fired a beam of pink magic at Midnight Eclipse, only to have it blocked by a beam of red magic from Midnight Eclipse, causing a large explosion.

"Laurel Wreath!" Twilight said, "I know you're still in there! I know you can hear me! I just want to talk!"

"Laurel Wreath is gone!" Midnight Eclipse growled, firing another beam of red magic. Twilight dodged it, but it ended up scarring the ground, and hitting a few stores.

Applejack knocked a cart full of apples on to Midnight Eclipse, but she dodged them and blasted the cart apart with her magic.

"Listen to Twilight, Laurel! We're not your enemies!" Applejack cried.

"Yes, you are!" Midnight Eclipse yelled, putting a spell on the apples. The apples grew arms and legs made from vines, and sinister faces, and charged at Applejack.

"What the?!" Applejack cried as she was swarmed by the evil produce.

"ATTACK!" Fluttershy commanded, and her animal friends charged at Midnight Eclipse. But their attack was short-lived, as Midnight Eclipse blasted them with magic and fused them together.

"No!" Fluttershy wailed, rushing to her friends' side.

"Fluttershy, don't!" Twilight warned.

But it was too late. Midnight Eclipse struck Fluttershy with a spell, and she instantly turned to stone, her Element of Harmony necklace slipping off her neck.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight wailed.

"You're going to pay for that, Midnight Eclipse!" Applejack yelled, lunging at Midnight Eclipse.

"Applejack, no!" Twilight called.

Midnight Eclipse smirked, and teleported out of the way. She reappeared behind Applejack, and struck her with magic. Applejack, like Fluttershy, turned to stone instantly, her element slipping off her neck.

"APPLEJACK!" Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity cried.

"Three pests down, three to go." Midnight Eclipse taunted, "Still think you can win, Princess?"

"Laurel, look around you!" Twilight begged, "Is this what you want?!"

"Laurel Wreath no longer exists! And this is exactly what I want!" Midnight Eclipse yelled, firing another bolt of magic that Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight managed to avoid.

"I hoped it wouldn't have to come to this, but here goes!" Pinkie Pie cried, firing her party cannon.

Laurel stumbled, surprised by multiple pounds of confetti and streamers hitting her.

"A party cannon?! You think you can defeat me with a party cannon?!" Midnight Eclipse yelled, firing a bolt of red magic.

Pinkie Pie jumped out of the way, but her cannon was destroyed.

"My cannon…" Pinkie mumbled, tears filling her eyes, and her mane deflating.

While Pinkie was preoccupied with her sadness, Midnight Eclipse struck Pinkie, who instantly turned into a statue, her element falling to the ground.

"Pinkie, no!" Twilight cried.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, Twilight!" Rarity called.

"Not for long!" Midnight Eclipse cried haughtily, firing another bolt of red magic.

Rarity jumped out of the way, and used her magic to throw some bricks at Midnight Eclipse. Midnight Eclipse couldn't dodge in time, and the rubble ended up striking her.

"OW," she cried in Laurel's voice.

Twilight and Rarity froze, stunned by what they just heard.

 _Laurel Wreath's still alive in there!_ Twilight thought.

Unfortunately, Midnight Eclipse recovered quickly, and struck Rarity with the petrifying spell, her Element of Harmony falling off her neck.

"No…" Twilight mumbled, realizing that all of her friends had turned to stone.

"Looks like it's over for you, Princess!" Midnight Eclipse cried triumphantly, "Surrender your power to me!"

"Laurel, listen to me!" Twilight begged, "Evergreen and your friends told me about what happened to you after the day of the exam-!"

"They are not my friends anymore! They're traitors, all of them!" Midnight Eclipse interrupted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way! And I'm sorry your parents and peers were awful to you afterwards! I know it hurts! But taking your feelings out on other ponies isn't the answer! Let us help you, Laurel!"

"I don't need your pity!" Midnight Eclipse yelled, readying her petrifying spell, "And I certainly don't need your help!"

Midnight Eclipse fired her magic, and Twilight knew she was done for.

 _Please let Princess Celestia and Luna be able to defeat Midnight Eclipse,_ was Twilight's final thought.

That is, until something heavy slammed into her side.


	10. The Fall of Midnight Eclipse

Every Laurel Has Its Thorns Chapter 10: The Fall of Midnight Eclipse

"Oof!" Twilight cried as a heavy weight slammed into her, knocking her out of the way of Midnight Eclipse's spell.

She looked up and saw a green unicorn stallion with a black mane standing over her.

"Evergreen!" Twilight cried, pulling herself to her feet.

Evergreen nodded, and said, "Looks like we got here just in time."

" _We_?" Twilight asked.

"He means us." Scarlet Streak said, coming up behind Evergreen. She was followed by Funny Bone, Snowflake Swirl, and Cupid's Arrow.

"You convinced them to fight!" Twilight cried happily.

"Actually, we didn't need convincing. We ran away because we had to get our stuff!" Funny Bone said, motioning toward his bag of props. Scarlet was pulling a cart full of fireworks, Snowflake was carrying a pair of ice skates, and Cupid was armed with a bow and plastic arrows.

"Thanks so much, you guys! Now, let's free Laurel!" Twilight cried.

Evergreen and his friends cheered and charged at Midnight Eclipse. She overcame her shock and yelled, "You still think you can stop me?! Fine! I guess I'll have to teach you the hard way not to mess with me!"

Midnight Eclipse started to launch another beam of magic at Twilight, but a firework exploded near her head. Startled, her spelled went wide, and missed her target.

"How dare you!" Midnight Eclipse cried, firing a bolt of magic at Scarlet. Scarlet flew out of the way, and Cupid hit Midnight Eclipse's side with a plastic arrow, making her miss yet again.

"Laurel!" Evergreen cried, "Listen to us! I know you're still in there!"

"Laurel Wreath is gone!" Midnight Eclipse cried, charging at Evergreen, her horn glowing with red magic. Snowflake Swirl launched a spell at the ground from her horn, and instantly the ground beneath Midnight Eclipse froze. Midnight Eclipse slipped on the ice, and Evergreen jumped out of her path.

"NO!" Twilight cried, "Laurel Wreath isn't gone! I heard you earlier when Rarity hit Midnight Eclipse with rubble! Laurel, please! Listen to your friends!"

"SHUT UP!" Midnight Eclipse cried, launching a spell at Snowflake Swirl. She jumped out of the way, and Funny Bone threw a plastic chicken at Midnight Eclipse's head to distract her.

"Laurel!" Snowflake said, "Please, talk to us. We're sorry we kept putting so much pressure to feel better! But we understand now! Let us help you! We're your friends!"

"No, you're not!" Midnight Eclipse cried, attempting to launch a spell at Snowflake Swirl, only to have it thrown off course by another one of Scarlet Streak's fireworks.

"I don't need friends!" Midnight Eclipse snarled, "I need vengeance!"

"Laurel, isolating yourself doesn't help ease pain! It only makes it worse! Friendship is essential to a pony's life! Look around you, Laurel! You have friends! Let them help you!" Twilight pleaded.

"I don't need friends! The only thing friendship does is hurt you!" Midnight Eclipse said, charging at Twilight. Evergreen used his magic to make a vine on a nearby building elongate, and wrap around one of Midnight Eclipse's legs. She stumbled and fell, and Twilight flew out of the way.

"Laurel! I know you think that because you think we hurt you! We can explain-!"

"BUG OFF!" Midnight Eclipse cried, interrupting Cupid, "You all are traitors! You all hurt me before, and you're helping the pony that ruined my life!"

"Laurel, we never betrayed you!" Funny Bone cried.

"LIAR!" Midnight Eclipse cried, firing a beam of magic at him. Funny Bone jumped out of the way, and Cupid shot another plastic arrow at Midnight Eclipse.

"Laurel!" Scarlet snapped, "Stop attacking and let us tell you what happened!"

"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Midnight Eclipse cried. But instead of her hollow, sinister voice, Laurel's rang out loud and clear.

"Laurel…!" Evergreen mumbled, relieved.

"Laurel, I know you think we betrayed, but we didn't!" Scarlet Streak said.

"Oh, really?!" Laurel cried, getting to ready to fire another beam of magic at Twilight, "Where were you when our classmates attacked me on the playground, then?! That's right! You weren't by my side!"

"Because we were serving a lunch detention for trying to stand up for you, so we couldn't go to recess!" Snowflake Swirl cried.

Laurel looked stunned, and the red glow on her horn faded.

"What?" Laurel asked, confused.

"We saw a group of ponies snickering, laughing about you and taunting you behind your back as they went to the copy room that day." Evergreen said, "We followed them, and discovered that they were printing nasty posters that were making fun of you, and they were planning to hang them around the school to embarrass you even further! So, we ran in and stopped them, but we ended up getting to a fistfight with them. The teacher came in, and assigned us all lunch detentions!"

"We were trying to protect you!" Cupid said.

Twilight suddenly noticed that her friend's Elements of Harmony necklaces were starting to glow.

"Then…then why didn't you stand up for me when my parents verbally beat me down after Princess Celestia kicked me out of the exam?!" Laurel asked.

"Because we weren't sure what to say!" Scarlet cried, "We were so blown away by how rude and heartless your parents were being that we were stunned speechless!"

The Element of Harmony necklaces started to grow brighter.

"Laurel, think about. This was never Twilight's fault for what happened, or Princess Celestia's. Or even ours! Your parents and those mean kids made you into this monster of a pony! But that's in the past! You need to move on, and learn to let go!" Evergreen cried.

Laurel's eyes teared up. "But…but it still hurts…"

"I know, I know." Snowflake said gently, "The past can really hurt sometimes. We've all been wounded by our memories. But we learned to look forward instead of back. That's how we learned how to heal."

"How can I look forward when I don't have a future?! I don't belong in Canterlot or Ponyville! I don't fit in anywhere! I don't even have a family, since my parents kicked me out for being such a disgrace!" Laurel sobbed.

"Laurel, you _can_ fit in here. You just need time to heal. We wanted you to move with us here so you could start a new life away from those awful ponies and your horrid family!" Scarlet said.

"And you _do_ have a family, Laurel!" Cupid soothed, "You have _us_!"

"We promise we'll never leave you, Laurel." Evergreen said, "Let go of your anger and your hurt. Come back to us."

The Elements of Harmony started to glow even brighter.

Laurel Wreath closed her eyes and concentrated to the point where she started grunting and moaning, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

"Let..,Me…GO!" Laurel cried, concentrating with all her might.

Suddenly she gasped, and shuddered violently. When Laurel opened her eyes, they were blood red again. Midnight Eclipse had taken over.

"So," she snarled, "You managed to break through to my host. Big deal. I still rule this body! And I will bring Ponyville to its knees and gain my crown, with or without her help!"

"Laurel! Fight her off!" Scarlet cried.

"I can't." Laurel said weakly. "She's too strong."

"Of course, you can't beat me by sheer willpower!" Midnight Eclipse taunted, "I am more powerful than you will ever be!"

"Listen, guys." Laurel said, fighting to stay in control, her eyes flickering between red and gold, "There's still a way to beat her. The necklace around our necks is her source of power. Find a way to remove, and she'll-!"

"Enough!" Midnight Eclipse cried, once again in total control, "You cannot beat me!"

"What are we going to do, Princess?!" Cupid asked nervously.

"Don't worry. I've found a way to win! The Elements of Harmony!" Twilight announced triumphantly.

Midnight Eclipse threw her head back and laughed, "In case it's slipped your mind, Princess, your fellow 'Elements of Harmony' are petrified! And you all need 6 of them for the magic to work! Face it, Princess, you're through!"

"WRONG!" Twilight cried, "I wasn't referring to my old friends. I was referring to my new ones: the second set of The Elements of Harmony!"

The Elements of Harmony glowed brightly, and started hovering in the air, while Princess Twilight turned to Evergreen and his friends.

"Snowflake Swirl, you dried everyone's tears when they felt the pain of Laurel's cutting words, and tried to diffuse a fight before somepony said something hurtful. You are the spirit of Kindness."

Fluttershy's necklace flew to Snowflake Swirl, and attached itself around her neck. Snowflake started hovering above the ground, and glowing.

"What is this?!" Midnight Eclipse cried.

"Funny Bone, you kept a smile on everyone's face, and encouraged us to have a positive outlook in this dark time. You are the spirit of Laughter."

Pinkie Pie's Element of Harmony attached itself to Funny Bone, and he too began floating and shining.

"Cupid's Arrow, you selflessly gave your time, and all your effort into helping us find a solution to help Laurel. You are the spirit of Generosity."

Rarity's necklace attached itself to Cupid's Arrow, and she too hovered and glowed.

"Scarlet Streak, you weren't afraid to speak your mind or let me and my friends into the darkest parts of your past to help Laurel. You are the spirit of Honesty."

Applejack's element attached itself to Scarlet, and she too lit up and floated.

"Stop this nonsense right now!" Midnight Eclipse cried, firing a bolt of magic, that was blocked by a rainbow shield.

"And finally, Evergreen." Twilight said, "You firmly held on to the belief that Laurel could change back despite all the odds, and encouraged us to keep going, even when things looked hopeless. You are the spirit of Loyalty."

Rainbow Dash's necklace attached itself to Evergreen, and both he and Twilight glowed and hovered alongside their friends. The Elements glowed even brighter, and a magical spark started to form between them.

"Thanks to you all, I learned an important new lesson: Any challenge or adversity can be overcome with the power of The Magic of Friendship!" Twilight cried, as they all glowed very brightly.

A large rainbow beam formed from their glow, and crashed down onto Midnight Eclipse.

"NO!" She cried, as she was blasted into oblivion.

Gradually, the glow spread out until it covered all Ponyville, and then burst into separate streams of rainbows.

When the glow faded. Twilight and her new friends were placed gently on the ground, wearing their Elements of Harmony. All the destroyed buildings had been repaired, and the scars in the ground from the battle had disappeared. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy had unpetrified, and were sitting on the ground, dazed and confused. Laurel was back in her regular form, laying in the center of a large burn mark on the road, the gray necklace with a green diamond design in the center laying in front of her.

"What the hay?" Applejack asked, grabbing to her hat, and getting to her feet.

"What happened? Is Midnight Eclipse gone?" Fluttershy asked, as her no longer fused animal friends ran to meet her.

"Uh, are those our Elements of Harmony?" Rainbow Dash asked, noticing Twilight, Evergreen, and their friends.

"Yeah. It turns out, they're a second set of The Elements of Harmony." Twilight said, motioning to Evergreen and his friends.

Twilight's friend's mouths fell open in shock.

"They're… they're what?!" Rarity asked.

"I'll explain later." Twilight said, "Right now, we need make sure Laurel's okay."

Right as Twilight said that, Laurel began to stir. She lifted her head up, looked around, and started crying.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I swear! I was just-!"

Laurel was cut off by Evergreen running up and hugging her. He was quickly followed by the rest of his friends, who all hugged Laurel in massive huddle.

"Why are you not mad at me! I thought you'd never want to be my friend again, after this!" Laurel cried.

"Laurel, when we said we'd never leave you, we meant it!" Evergreen cried.

"We knew all along that what you'd become wasn't the real you! You just got a bit lost, and confused!" Scarlet said, tears running down her face.

"And now you've found your way back. You're the Laurel Wreath we once knew again!" Snowflake said, tears dripping down her face.

"Thanks to you all. Thank you for not giving up on me." Laurel said.

"We love you, Laurel." Cupid said.

"I love you all, too." Laurel said weakly.

Evergreen looked like he was about to say something, but got cut off by the sound of a chariot approaching. Twilight and her friends turned to see a royal chariot racing toward them.

It stopped right in front of them, and Princesses Celestia and Luna got off.

Laurel gulped and started sweating, and Twilight felt herself get nervous.

 _What's going to happen to Laurel Wreath?_


	11. A Brighter Future Or Is It?

Every Laurel Has Its Thorns Chapter 11: A Brighter Future…Or Is It?

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, as her friends bowed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Laurel was heavily trembling.

"We sensed a great amount of dark magic coming from here. We came down to investigate and see if we needed to intervene. Although judging by how quiet everything is now, I'd say that you and your friends took care of whatever it was." Celestia said.

"…Princess Celestia." Laurel said hesitantly, walking toward the princesses.

Laurel gulped and said shakily, "I…I was the one who released all the dark magic, princess."

"Laurel, it wasn't your fault!" Twilight said.

"Can someone please explain what happened here? I thought I felt a lot of dark magic here, but the town looks fine." Luna asked.

Twilight explained how she, Evergreen, and their friends had just released the truth behind Laurel's state of mind, an explosion had shaken the area. She told the princesses about how the explosion had been caused by Laurel Wreath, who had somehow taken on the form of an evil pony named Midnight Eclipse. Twilight told them about how Midnight Eclipse had trapped all of her friends one by one in a petrifying spell, and was about to do the same to her when Evergreen and his friends saved. She explained how they finally broke through to Laurel, and how Evergreen, Scarlet, Snowflake, Cupid, and Funny Bone had taken over as The Elements of Harmony to defeat Midnight Eclipse and free Laurel.

Twilight's friends and the princesses looked stunned when Twilight finished.

"So, Evergreen, Scarlet Streak, Snowflake Swirl, Cupid's Arrow, and Funny Bone are all a second set of The Elements?" Princess Celestia asked.

"I think Laurel might be, too." Twilight said.

"M-me?! Why?!" Laurel asked.

"You've shown you have a lot of magical potential, Laurel. And Evergreen said you're basically the leader of your group of friends. It sounds to me like you might be compatible to have the spirit of Magic." Twilight said, using her magic to put her crown on Laurel.

The moment Twilight's crown touched Laurel's head, it started glowing, and released a small rainbow from the stone.

"Looks like I was right." Twilight said, taking her crown back.

"A second set of the Elements of Harmony? How is this possible?" Luna asked.

"More importantly, how did you become Midnight Eclipse?" Celestia asked.

Laurel pointed to the necklace that Midnight Eclipse had worn.

"I put that on." Laurel said.

Celestia walked over, and examined the necklace darkly.

"This necklace," she asked.

Laurel nodded and said, "That's one of the Elements of Disharmony, isn't it?"

Laurel's eyes suddenly went wide, and she gasped and put her hoof over mouth, realizing that she'd said too much.

Celestia and Luna sharply turned to her.

"How do you about that?! That is highly classified information!" Princess Luna barked.

"When…when I was a filly, when I was studying for the entrance exam to your school, I sneaked into the castle library so I could learn any necessary spells you might require on your exam, so I could be sure I got in. I accidentally wandered into the Restricted Section, and read an old scroll about the Elements of Disharmony and The Great Pony War! I'm sorry! Please don't punish me!" Laurel cried.

"Wait a minute, back up. What does she mean, Great Pony War? And what in Equestria are The Elements of Disharmony?" Applejack asked.

"You all know about the Elements of Harmony, right? Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, and Magic? And how they're meant to spread good throughout Equestria?" Laurel asked.

"Of course, we do! We _are_ the Elements of Harmony! What's your point?!" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"Well, back in the very beginning of Equestria, there were also the Elements of Disharmony-they were the opposite of The Elements of Harmony. Kindness became Cruelty, Honesty became Deceit, Laughter became Misery, Generosity became Gluttony, Loyalty became Treachery, and Magic became Dark Magic. They were created at the same time as the Elements of Harmony, to counterbalance each other and make sure no side grew more powerful than the other. However, the Elements of Disharmony rapidly grew out of hand. They started causing problems all throughout Equestria, and caused anypony who wore an Element of Disharmony to commit terrible deeds. Eventually, it lead to a civil war-The Great Pony War-where the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Disharmony battled for control. It was a long, bloody conflict that left thousands of ponies dead, but eventually, the light side of the Elements emerged victorious. The Elements of Disharmony were hidden throughout Equestria, and they were erased from Equestrian history, as was The Great Pony War." Laurel explained.

"So…so our own Elements have a dark side to them? They…they could be used against us?" Fluttershy asked.

Celestia nodded grimly, "I'm afraid so."

"Which is precisely why we hid this knowledge! It's dangerous, and could lead to another great conflict! We didn't want to frighten our subjects! We erased the memory of The Elements of Disharmony and The Great Pony War for the good of other ponies!" Luna cried.

"Sister, please." Celestia said calmly.

"But, Celestia-!" Luna cried.

"Twilight and her friends would've needed to know eventually. And I suppose that Laurel and her friends deserve to know now too." Celestia said.

"Why us?" Evergreen asked.

"Princess Twilight said so herself. You six are a second set of the Elements of Harmony. Your destinies are now tied to that of Princess Twilight's and her friends'." Celestia said.

"And as for you, Laurel Wreath," Celestia said, "How did you find the Disharmony Element of Dark Magic?"

"I…I didn't, your highness. It found me." Laurel said.

"What do you mean, it _found_ you?" Luna asked.

"I was taking a walk outside of Ponyville to help ease my mind, and then suddenly I stumbled over something _._ I looked at what I'd tripped on, and it was that necklace. All the sudden it glowed, and attached itself to me. I remember feeling myself transforming, and then I started having these evil thoughts that I thought were mine, but they weren't. That was how I became Midnight Eclipse." Laurel explained.

"So, you didn't purposely go looking for it to increase your magic and defeat Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"No. I was planning to get some sort of revenge on Twilight, but nothing that grand or wicked." Laurel said.

"Wait, you _were_ planning some sort of revenge against me?" Twilight asked.

Laurel winced and said, "This was back when I was lost in the darkness my mind. I realize now what a fool I was."

"So, you purposely snuck into The Restricted Section of the castle library, uncovered a secret we've kept hidden for thousands of years, planned to take vengeance on Princess Twilight, and found an illegal source of magic?" Celestia asked.

"Yes," Laurel said, bowing her head.

"Hold on," Scarlet cried, "You can't arrest Laurel, that's not fair!"

"Princess, Laurel wasn't in control of herself when she was trapped in the form of Midnight Eclipse! Also, she came down with a severe form of depression that made her think irrationally! She-!"

"My ponies!" Celestia interrupted Evergreen, "I'm not going to punish Laurel!"

"You're…you're not?" Laurel asked, stunned.

Celestia shook her head, "Laurel Wreath, from the day I kicked you out of that exam, I'd secretly doubted my choice. You were certainly a fine magician. Was it possible that there was more to you than that overconfident, arrogant pony I met? And now that you've done this, I see that I was right to doubt my choice, Laurel. Not only did you show a great capacity for magic, Laurel, you also demonstrated strength of will to be able to withstand Midnight Eclipse, humility when you realized the error in your ways, the cleverness to uncover a secret that had been buried since the ancient days of Equestria, compassion for your friends, and a willing to start anew, and look for a new direction in life. You would've made a fine pupil under me."

"Thank you, Princess." Laurel said.

"However, I'm afraid there is no one available to train you. Princess Twilight, Princess Cadence, Princess Luna and I are all much too busy with our duties. I'm very sorry, Laurel." Celestia said gravely.

Laurel bowed her head. "I understand."

"Sister," Luna said, "I'm willing to train Laurel."

"What?" Laurel asked, confused.

"Luna, you have responsibilities to take care of! And you've never mentored a pony!" Celestia cried.

"I have nothing on my schedule that would make me too busy to mentor Laurel Wreath. And if I come across a problem while mentoring her, I know I can turn to you for support, sister. After all, you trained Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence, and look how well they turned out! Please, Celestia! I know I can do this!" Luna pleaded.

Celestia turned to Laurel and asked, "Do you want to be trained to be a princess under Princess Luna, Laurel Wreath?"

"YES!" Laurel shouted, excited.

Laurel cleared her throat and said, "I mean, I would be honored to be trained under Princess Luna, your highness."

"Then it's settled. Luna will train Laurel to become a princess. I will support her if necessary. Twilight, will you help Laurel Wreath if she needs it?"

"I would love to, Princess. I think Laurel and I could become great friends." Twilight said.

"And with us, too!" Rarity said.

Twilight's other friends nodded in agreement.

"Congratulations." Evergreen said, walking up to Laurel.

"Thanks, Evergreen." Laurel said, her eyes shining with tears of joy.

"So, um…I know this is sudden, but um…" Evergreen stuttered.

Twilight's and Laurel's friends held their breath, knowing what was coming.

"I…I love you, Laurel. I've loved you since I was a colt. I've always wanted to tell you, but I couldn't work up the nerve. I hope this doesn't, uh, wreck our friendship?" Evergreen said, blushing.

Laurel blushed too, and said "No. I…I love you, too, Evergreen. You always stood by my side when times got tough. And, to be honest, I had crush on you since I was a filly!"

"R-really?" Evergreen asked.

Laurel nodded, and Evergreen laughed and said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Same reason you didn't tell me! I was scared!" Laurel said.

Laurel and Evergreen laughed and hugged, and then looked at each other and kissed.

Snowflake Swirl squealed with delight, Funny Bone was grinning from ear to ear, Cupid's Arrow had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling, and Scarlet Streak mumbled, "It's about time.""

Evergreen and Laurel Wreath pulled away, blushing.

Luna cleared her throat and said, "If you're ready, Laurel, I have your first assignment ready for you."

"Oh, okay? What is it?" Laurel asked, turning to her new mentor.

"You know more about The Elements of Disharmony than any of your friends. Therefore, I'm putting you in charge of finding the remaining five Elements." Luna said.

"M-me?! But you said that they're spread throughout all Equestria! Equestria's huge! How am I supposed to find them all?!" Laurel asked.

"I'm aware of the complexity of this assignment, Laurel. But I have full confidence that you'll be able to complete it. And besides, you won't be working alone. I want your old and new friends working with you, too." Luna said.

Laurel took a deep breath, and said, "Okay. I'll do it. For the sake of Equestria. I won't let you down Princess."

"Good." Luna said.

"With all due respect, princess, how are we supposed to find them? The Elements of Disharmony have been hidden for thousands of years, and they're spread throughout Equestria. And once we do find them, what are we going to do with them?" Scarlet asked.

"Good questions, Scarlet Streak. There is a secure storeroom in the castle that's enchanted so that only Luna or I can open. That's where we'll store the Elements of Disharmony, to ensure that no pony gets them. As for how to find the Elements, like the Elements of Harmony, the Elements of Disharmony are all connected. Since the Element of Dark Magic has reappeared, I imagine that the others won't be far behind." Celestia said.

"Now that I think about it, Celestia and I have been receiving reports of strange behavior in Dodge Junction, as well as felt dark magic brewing in that area. I think another Element of Disharmony may be resurfacing there." Luna said.

"All right, then, let's go to Dodge Junction! Ready, everypony?" Laurel asked.

"Ready," everyone cried.

"Wait." Luna said, "Before you go there, remember to be careful. We already saw what happened when an Element of Disharmony fell into the wrong hooves. I don't want another incident. Make sure to get all The Elements of Disharmony before some other pony does."

"We will. You can count on us, Princess!" Laurel said confidently.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, "Can you please explain to the townspeople what happened with Laurel? I don't want them to hate her."

Celestia nodded, and Laurel said, "Guys, we need to hurry! If we don't get to Dodge Junction in time, some pony will find the Element of Disharmony before we do and become possessed! Let's go!"

Laurel and all her friends ran to the train station, eager to get to Dodge Junction and stop the Element of Disharmony waiting there.

When they were gone, Celestia and Luna looked darkly at each other and nodded gravely, knowing that they were thinking the same thing.

 _If the Elements of Disharmony are reappearing after all this time, that means some disaster is about to befall us all! I just hope we're ready…_


End file.
